Australia's Grampians Peaks Trail Reopens
The entire Grampians Peaks Trail in Victoria, Australia has fully reopened following wildfire recovery efforts. This celebrated multi-day hiking route offers dramatic landscapes and options from day hikes to longer backpacking adventures. The reopening signals a return to normal for the region and exciting new international travel possibilities.
The complete 164-kilometre Grampians Peaks Trail is now accessible to thru-hikers for the first time since the devastating 2024-25 bushfire season. This marks a major milestone in the region's recovery, which saw a staged reopening of the trail, with some sections accessible to day walkers as early as July of last year. The final five hike-in campgrounds—Barri Yalug, Duwul, Durd Durd, Yarram, and Wannon—reopened on March 2, 2026, making the entire 13-day trek possible again. The summer fires were sparked by dry lightning in December 2024 and January 2025, ultimately burning 135,000 hectares, which constitutes nearly 80% of the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park. Six of the trail's hike-in campgrounds sustained damage, and significant lengths of the track were impacted, with some sections seemingly disappearing due to the loss of guiding vegetation. A comprehensive recovery effort, supported by $36 million in funding from the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments, was required to bring the trail back to life. The restoration work included the installation of approximately 100 stone steps, the replacement of over 600 yellow wayfinding triangles, and extensive track stabilization and re-profiling over about 20 kilometers. The fires had a significant economic impact on the surrounding communities, with the closure of tourism-reliant towns like Halls Gap during the peak summer season leading to substantial financial losses for local businesses. Spending in Halls Gap, for instance, dropped by 63 percent compared to the previous year in the month following the fires. Beyond the trail itself, the recovery efforts have also focused on the park's biodiversity. Programs to control predator populations and provide support for endangered species, such as the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, have been a critical component of the park's regeneration. The full trail officially opened to the public in November 2021 after years of construction. The project involved upgrading 60 kilometers of existing tracks and building 100 kilometers of new trail to create the continuous 13-day journey through the national park.
